Improved car-brake



L. S. SISSON.

Car Brake.

Pgtnted Dec. 15, 1868.

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L. sQsIssor 'oF WES-1T EDMESTON, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 85,034, dated December 15, 1868; antedated December 5, 1868.

IMPROVED CAR-BRAKE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and. making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, L. S. SIssON, ofWest Edmeston,

in the county of Otsego, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Brakes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a portion of a railroad-car, with my improvement attached.

Figure 2, a view of the guide in which the end of the lever that throws the apparatus into operation moves.

Figure 3, a view of the guide for the lever which takes oif the brakes.

The object-of my invention is to provide asuitable arrangement of devices for utilizing the motion of a car, to put on the brakes, and stop the same, when ,re quired, either in case of accident, or in the ordinary working ofthe train; and to this end,

My improvement consists in connecting a cam upon one of the axles with a cam-rod, which rotates the brake-shaft in such manner that, by a single movement of a lever, the brakes will be automatically applied to the whe ls by the revolutions of the axle, and

a movement of another lever instantaneously takes them off.

In the accompanying drawings, which represent a convenient arrangement of parts for carrying out-the object of my invention,

A A represent portionsof a car-truck, and

B, the axle, upon which'are secured the wheels I) b.

A cam, 13, is attached to this aide, at any suitable point between the wheels, and is provided with a friction-roller on its wearing-surface.

A cam-rod, O, is suitablybent at one end, to receive longitudinal motion from the revolutions of the cam B, and pivoted at its other end to a plate, 0', upon the brake-shaft F. T

It is suspended near the axle in a'swinging hanger, c, pivoted to the car-body, so that its end on which the cam-frame is formed can be moved laterally upon the axle, so as to be thrown into or out of gear with the cam B.

' arm bearing against a stop on thehanger c.

The effect of this arrangement is to hold the rod 0 out of gear with the cam B, the tension of the spring d being greater than that of the spring 0, and acting in a contrary direction. 7

A cord, d, is attachedto the lever D, near the end of its longer arm, and, passing over a pulley in the car,

is. connected to a cordwhich runs forward to the locomotive. By raising the end of the lever-by a pull upon.

the cord 1', the opposite arm is (h'awn away from the stop on the hanger c, and, the spring 0' forces the rod 0 into gear with the cam.

When the spring (I is again allowed to exert its tension upon the1ever1),it forces its short arm up againstthe. hanger c, and throws the cam-rod C out of gear with the cam. 4

' The end ofthe arm of the lever D,to which the cord (1 is attached, moves in a guide, D, which is shown on an enlarged scale in fig. 2. Within this guide are pivoted the fingers d and (Z and spring (1*.

The finger elf is pivoted at a point somewhat below its centre, and has a recess in its upper part, against which the finger (l -is pressed by the spring d. The lever D is raised by the cord, until it passes the upper point of the finger d when the cord is released, and it drops into the recess in 61*, where it is retained by the spring 01*, and 'thecam-rod remains in gear with the cam.

To throw these parts out of gear, another p'ull upon the cord d is given,'which raises the end of D past the 'p'oint of the spring (1 when, the cord beingreleased, the spring (1 throws the end of D down to the bottom of the guide D, and causes its opposite arm to press against the hanger c, and throw the cam-rod out of gear.

One end of the cam-rod O is pivoted to the oscillating plate 0, which moves freely, upon thebrakeshaft F.

A plate, f is pivoted to the top of C, to which a One tooth of the ratchet is cut away, leaving a dead space, :12, over which the pawl f 1 moves, without imparting motion to the shaft F. v

A lever, E, is connected to the plate E atone end, and to a cord, 0, at its other end, being pivoted to the carbody between them. 'The cord 6 passes up over a pulley into the car, and is connected with a cord passing longitudinally therein.

The end of the lever moves vertically in a guide, E, shown on an enlarged scale in fig. 3. It ispressed down by a spring, 6, and held in positionby a catch, 0, pivoted to itse'nd,which catch serves as a point of attachment for theeord e.

When the lever B is in the position shown by the drawings, the catch 8 rests in an offset, at the bottom of the guide E, and is held in position by the spring 0 The pull upon the cord e brings the catch e to a perpendicular position, and enables the lever E to. be raised, to withdraw the pawls 0 and f from the ratchet fi The cord f which operates the brakes, is attached to the shaft F, and, at its opposite end, to a-spring, g, which unrolls it from the shaft when the brakes are to be taken off.

The operation of the devices is as follows:

The parts being in the-position shown by the drawing, and it being desired to put on the brakes, a single pull is given to the cord 61, which, as before explained, throws the cam-rod Ojnto gear with the cam B, and imparts rectilineal reciprocating motion to the rod by means of the revolutions of the axle. This rod, being connected to the plates 0 and f, and pawl f, causes the latterto rotate the shaft F by means of the ratchet f winding the brake-cord f upon the shaft, and applying the brakes, the shaft being prevented from retrograding by the pawl a.

When the brakes are brought down suflicientl y hard, the dead-space a; is arranged to be opposite the pawl, and the shaft 1 receives no further movement, whether the cam-rod is in gear or not. It is prefeiable, however, to throw it out of gear by givingauother pull upon the cord (1 as soon as it is ascertained that the brakes are down.

\Vhen the train has been brought to a stand, and the brakes are to be takenoff, the leversE is raised by pulling upon the cord 4;, which withdraws the pawls f and e from the ratchet f; and the spring 9 unrolls the cord f 3 from the shaft, and takes off the brakes.

\ From an examination of the parts, it will be seen,

couplings, will immediately cause the brakes to be applied, thus bringing a means of safety into requisition on thefirst intimation of danger.

' Having thus fully described my invention,

What Ielaim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. Thecombination of the pivoted hanger a, lever D, and springs c and d, with the cam-rod G, for the purpose of throwing the same into and out of gear, as set forth. 2. The guide E and catch e, for governing the posi-' tion and movements of the lever E, as set forth.

3. The guide D, with its fingers d and (Z and spring (1*, arranged and operating as and for the purpose described. v

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

' L. S. SISSON.

Witnesses: Y

J SNOWDEN BELL, WILson J. ABBOTT. 

